Notes: Howard defies laid-back image

03/26/2006
CLEARWATER, FLA. -- So much for Ryan Howard's mild-mannered, laid-back image.
That took a serious hit on an otherwise serene Sunday afternoon, when he and Red Sox starter Josh Beckett exchanged words at Bright House Networks Field over a difference of opinion.
"You guys [in the media] are surprised," Howard said. "You haven't seen this side of me. You see the nice guy."
In an event that could've been billed as the 2005 Rookie of the Year vs. the 2003 World Series MVP, Howard and Beckett engaged in a spirited discussion regarding baseball etiquette.
The disagreement occurred in the sixth inning, when Howard smacked a Beckett fastball and thought he had his 11th Grapefruit League home run. That would have tied the game at 3, but center fielder Adam Stern tracked it down at the warning track.
Beckett thought Howard took a few extra seconds to admire his work and let the slugger know what he thought about it.
"I didn't think it was the right thing to do," Beckett said. "I've never been the type of guy to not say anything. It started after he was jogging in. It's not like I wanted to fight the guy. I just wanted to make a point that you look like a [fool] when you hit a ball, pimp it and then you're out. I didn't want to fight him. I just wanted him to know my point."
Beckett continued making his point while Howard rolled warmups in the top of the seventh.
"I think I used the word 'idiot,'" Beckett said. "I don't know exactly what I said; it was the heat of the moment. I probably should've just let it die, but I didn't. That's all right. I'm sure I'll face him again sometime down the road."
Taking exception, Howard turned, dropped his glove and motioned for Beckett to come on the field. Both benches emptied -- bullpens, too -- but no punches were thrown.
Howard said he wasn't showing up Beckett.
"I didn't know where the ball went," Howard said. "If I was going to do something like pimp it or whatever, he'd have known. But I was looking to try to see where it went."
This wasn't the first time Beckett has taken exception to on-field behavior. He walked Kenny Lofton in a game last season and got miffed when Lofton flipped his bat at home plate -- something the center fielder has done his entire career.
Burrell returns: Pat Burrell returned to the lineup Sunday, going 2-for-4 with an RBI.
It was his first Grapefruit League start since March 21. He played all nine innings in left field and reported no problems with his right foot or left thigh.
"He looked fine," said manager Charlie Manuel. "He would have said something to me, and I probably would have taken him out of the game."
Philling In: Monday's game against Cleveland will be broadcast on MLB.com's Gameday Audio. ... On Sunday, Manuel stopped just short of saying that David Bell won't be ready for the season. After playing in four consecutive Minor League games, Bell rested Sunday and probably will have Monday off, too. Asked if he felt Bell will be ready, Manuel said, "I want to say no. I want to make sure that he's ready to play, whenever that is."

Source: http://mlb.mlb.com/